Magic Dances At Night
by Twin-Moon-Elder
Summary: Magic has always played a key role in Moon People culture. But something has happened and their abilities have since been fading, causing a shift in Yellow Drops society. During this, the Twins, Ciara and Sitara, are born. As they grow, so does their inability to be around each other. Unwittingly, their choices will become the epicenter of both Magic's and Blue Terra's final fate.
1. Prologue

_There was a time long ago that Magic ruled everything in a place called Red Terra…_

_It swam in the blackened waters and soared through the skies, driving the currents whichever way it pleased. It was the very bones of boulders and gave them their strength; fires fed on the energy that Magic provided it and became stronger with it. Even the golden-white arcs that flashed across the sky would give way to Magic, allowing it to pull it to and fro. _

_It was a wild, unpredictable thing—like the hungry monsters that stalk the outskirts a town. Just as easily it gave and nourished life, it could snatch it all away at a whim and leave you in ashes. It was something that you never crossed and could never hope to touch with your hands._

_ That is, until a race known only as the Shadow Casters came to be. _

_ Somehow they were able to tame these feral creatures, forcing them to yield to their will and allow the Shadow Casters to connect with their energy. Soon, these mysterious beings learned how to harness the Ways of Magic and with it, experimented with their newfound world._

_ They threw up giant mountains that spewed fire beyond the sky; created bodies of water that stretched over the horizon only to chill them with storms of frost they had summoned. Whole masses of land were moved about the globe—a few even cast away. The wind screamed before the lightning's wrath and stripped the ground bare. The bones of dead monsters came alive after obtaining Magic's nourishment only to crumble under the light's pure rays. _

_ Then, as the world started to crumble from their reckless destruction and become engulfed by a suffocating darkness, the Shadow Casters suddenly disappeared. _

_No one knows what became of them or why they had left—only that a small group of rabbit-like beings were left behind. They too could harness the Ways of Magic as the Shadow Casters did but, upon seeing the chaos around them, they fled to the only place that had been spared—the Sister Moons circling high above. From there they watched the land burn and waited; the bloody-red color of the planet forever burned into their eyes as they gazed._

_ It was only after many years in solitude that the Ancients saw green slowly beginning to spread across Red Terra. The oceans they remembered as black and boiling with toxins transitioned into an alluring light blue. Believing it was finally safe, they arrived on the planet's surface and began to explore the new world as the Shadow Casters had eons before them. They soon renamed it Blue Terra for its massive, shining oceans._

_ They did not seek to destroy as their predecessors did though…_

_Instead the Ancients worked with Magic so they could create life and to nourish it across the lands, for the color of green had touched their hearts like no other. Trees that had once been small and fragile, grew tall and mighty. Flowers of all hues bloomed among the seas of green and animals—things as remarkable to see as the color of grass—were created. Many of them learned to live among their long-eared companions in harmony. _

_ Season after season went by with no threats from the rest of the world. This caused the Ancients to become blissfully blind within their treasured forests. So much even they that they failed to notice that another race had emerged. It was one altogether alien for these beings were tall with pale, naked flesh; their ears short and round. Their legs were long and stretched across the ground. Most strangely of all, they knew nothing of the Ways of Magic much less knew how to control it as the Ancients did. _

_So emerged the Ground-Striders._

_ Being the curious creatures they were, the Ground-Striders hid among the Ancients' trees after hearing their voices and seeing lights flashing from the forests and studied them. In turn, the Ancients did nothing for they knew not they had appeared. _

_The Ground-Striders watched their ceremonies and saw the amazing powers that were relinquished to the Ancients from the Mesh of the World. Jealous fascination in their eyes, the Ground-Striders approached the Ancients, demanding answers. _

_The small folk were surprised by their appearance but merely replied, "_You need to bare your hearts and listen. If you are too mindful and your heart speaks falsely, you will not hear the whispers of Magic and comprehend its true nature._"_

_ So the Ground-Striders left to their homes on the plains and in the rocky hills, eager to discover their new powers. They huddled in their huts, stiff with silence, to hear Magic's Whisper and strained their ears to the point that they bled. But they, being cursed with their tempestuous hearts and erratic minds, could not hear the Magic and perceive its Mesh of the World._

_Their world began to dim…_

_Believing they were deceived, they returned to the Ancient's village. "_Why do you lie to us_?" they shouted in anger. "_There is nothing to hear! You have made fools of us all so we may bleed in vain and freeze in the cold nights. Where do your true powers lie? For we too deserve the right to have what you do!_"_

_ As frightening as the Ground-Strider's anger was, the Ancients grew more so at the intangible cloud they could sense gathering in the air. "_Still your tongues and shield your hearts, pale ones_!" the Ancients cried. "_You mean to awaken Death to us?_"_

_ "_Death shall come to you if you do not give us your power!_"_

_ Realizing the peril they faced if they did not stem their rage, the Ancients cast the Ground-Striders from their forests and unleashed their wild companions upon them in an attempt to wash them off the face of the world. Fang, talon, hoof, and claw alike became steeped with blood underneath the moons that night…but not all the blood that could be spilt was so._

_Many Ground-Striders managed to hide themselves deep within their mountains, throwing off their assailants and fool them into believing their extinction. As the masses of wild creatures turned back and returned to their homes across the planet, the Ground-Striders slowly emerged from their caves._

_Then…their rage wholly devoured them; created an ugly desire to rip flesh from bone and to seize what they desired. _

"If they will not share power, they do not deserve power!_" the Ground-Striders told themselves. "_We will take it from them and drive them into the ground as they tried to us this night! We will show them what possessing power truly means._"_

_So they set to work with blood in their eyes and blackness in their hearts. For nine days and eight nights the Ground-Striders fashioned their killing instruments from stones, wood, and minerals they pulled from the earth. They wrapped the hides of dead animals about them for protection as well as to hide their smell from the beasts that would be lingering around the Ancient's forest. _

_ Unbeknownst to them, an eagle had flown overhead on eve the third day. It had seen the Ground Striders in the midst of their evil work and raced to the Ancient's village to warn them. Upon hearing the news, the Ancients gathered to decide their fate: to fight the Ground-Striders and tempt Death or to flee elsewhere into an uncertain future. _

_ By the ninth night, storm clouds had rolled in overhead, leaving Blue Terra as dark as its deepest caves. Under this cover of darkness, the Ground-Striders slunk from their villages and marched for the Ancient's forest, following the light that radiated from its depths. _

_ They reached forest and after seeing no animals there to defend it, charged into it. They soon reached the border that was between the woods themselves and the sanctuary where the Ancients lived. _

_It was there that the Ground-Striders first found the Ancients. _

_They stood in a long line. Their hands were raised—just barely visible from their robes—and consumed with an array of different-colored lights; their red eyes glowing as brightly under their cowls as their hands did. A low murmur began from one then carried to another. Soon the forest swelled with the rising and falling of their voices and some of the Ground-Striders became afraid. They threw down their weapons and fled while the rest gave a wild cry and attacked._

_Their numbers and simple physical strength were nothing against the Ancient's magic though and they were only flung back. A white light previously invisible to the Ground-Striders had now appeared between the two races and kept their weapons from piercing the casters._

_One of the Ancients paused in his chanting and spoke. "_We never wanted to harm you, pale ones, but your hate clouded your judgment and now we cannot let you pass. You do not deserve the right to Magic and we will keep it from you. Leave now and calm your hearts._"_

_One of the Ground-Striders, enraged at his enemies and being unable to curb his thirst for revenge, threw his own spear in frustration at the line of Ancients. _

_There was a sudden bright flash and the spear, now alight with black flames, pierced the barrier, striking an Ancient in his chest. His chant became a gurgled cry. Then he fell silent. The Ancients' chanting stopped abruptly and the barrier dispersed. They stared, horrified, at their fellow mage's bloody body. No Ancient had ever died in such a way before._

_The Ground-Strider who had thrown the spear, however, grinned triumphantly and seized another spear from the person standing beside him. He eyed the largest of the Ancients standing in the middle of the line and, with a maniacal laugh, threw the spear at him. The Ancient cried out and moved his hands to defend himself. He too was struck down by the black-lit spear but was able to muster a spell that smote the opening ranks of the Ground-Striders before dying. _

_Chaos erupted and the two races clashed in open battle for the first time. _

_The Ancients fought back with their magic, killing many of their enemies but it was in vain. They did not have the heart for blood-shed and battle as the Ground-Striders did and very soon, every one was slain. The Ground-Striders pushed ahead into the forest, taking the jewelry of the dead Ancients as trophies. _

_When they reached the village, the rest of the Ancients were standing at its center, arms raised and their hands glowing as the others' had while they chanted. Before the Ground-Striders could attack, the ground began to shake violently. The wind that followed after blew as a gale and brought the trees crashing down upon them. While the Ground-Striders ran from the falling timber, the Ancients' chanting grew louder and then, they were all contained within a white, shimmering bubble. They rose up above the trees just as the full Sister Moons appeared from behind the thick storm clouds. _

_The Ground-Striders could only howl in frustration for they could not reach their enemies. They watched as the Ancients rose higher and higher into the sky until they were just a small black mass against the moons…_

_Then, they stopped rising._

_The Ground-Striders eyes strained against the light of the moons__ as they stared upwards. There was a gleam from the floating orb and nine ribbons of some unnamable material swirled outwards—it made the Ancients appear so vivid, so intense that the moons behind them paled in comparison. Terror gripped the Ground-Striders once again, believing that the Ancients were about to strike them down._

_ A multitude of voices descended on their ears, high and clear, and in unison they said: "_You deserve not to look upon Mesh of the World and bask in Its wonders or earned the right to live on this planet. Until your greed is either quenched or wholly stopped otherwise, you will continue to suffer by your own hands. We refuse to subject ourselves to you and become part of your devastation."

_ The ribbons surrounding the Ancients began to wrap around one another and condensed into three small stones of differing colors…_

_The first gleamed as bright and majestic as the rising sun…_

_The second glimmered as deeply as the lava that boiled within the earth…_

_And the third shimmered as gently and cold as the sea…_

_ The Ground-Striders' fear gradually transformed into wonder. The sight of the stones brought a sense of curiosity and the sudden, unexplainable desire to hold them in their hands made them tremble with excitement._

"Until you prove to us that you are worthy of possessing these stones, we shall never tread on this planet again and only watch from on high. Perhaps then, with these stones, you pale beings will be able to recognize the web that ties all of us together and see Magic for what it truly is…"

_The stones gleamed one last time in the moonlight before they shot outwards across the planet, each in opposite directions. Sparkles of light trailed behind the stones as they flew out of sight over the horizon. _

_Then the Ancients disappeared altogether and were never seen again on Blue Terra…_


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning

** The Beginning**

_ "...Everything has two things in common: a beginning and an end. _

_ Where or how it starts does not determine its end. But in the end, _

_ the life in between is determined by the steps taken after the first..."_

Nightfall, Terra Spring 1207; Year Six...

* * *

The crystal mounted on the wall began to dim until it was just a faint sphere of light, filling the bedroom with darkness. A robed figure sat on a chair underneath the sphere; the pendent that hung from his neck appeared to shimmer in the dark. He gave a small sigh and closed the thick worn book he held in his hands. His eyes, glowing red underneath the cowl, passed over the two tiny beds at either side of him. The occupier of the bed on the left turned over to face him, her eyes tiny, bright and curious.

The figure smiled underneath his cowl and leaned towards her. "What is it, Sitara?"

"Da," she began slowly, her voice soft and sweet. "Are all Ground-Striders as mean as they were in the story?"

"It's hard to say, dear. You can't tell who someone is if you've never met them before." He pulled back his cowl to reveal long, white ears. He thought a moment as he scratched them then continued. "Only the Moon People who live in Brownboo Village on Blue Terra really known what humans are like."

"Humans?" the child repeated. "Is that what the Ground-Striders are called now? Like we call ourselves Moon People?"

"Yes, Sitara."

The girl breathed in thought. Then she sat up suddenly, her long ears standing straight up with excitement. "Why don't we go to Blue Terra, Da? We can see them and know if they're mean or not. And see real trees! I want to see what a forest is like!"

The father shook his head. "It's dangerous down there, Sitara, just like it is up here on the Yellow Moon. Besides we don't have the Moon Ship here anymore to travel down to the planet."

"Why don't we have it?" she asked loudly. "Can't we ask them to bring it back?"

"Hush, Sitara! You'll wake up your sister."

"But can't we?" the child persisted in a softer voice. "Everyone should know what Blue Terra is like. And what humans are. I wanna know!" The father was silent for a time, watching his daughter's blue eyes sparkle in the crystal light. Her eager smile soon turned into a frown as the seconds ticked past and she became impatient. "Can't we go to Blue Terra?"

The father finally stood and set the book down on the chair. "If it was here and you were a little older, I would take you," he answered slowly. "But it's not here so we can't. Besides, your mother is happy here in Yellow Drops and I can't leave her here by herself."

Deflated, the girl's ears drooped and she looked away from her father towards the door. "It's not fair, Da."

"I know it's not dear but a lot of things aren't. We just have to do what we can with what's given to us. Do you understand?"

She sighed. "Yes Da."

Her father stepped towards the other bed where the other daughter slept and kissed her on the side of the head. When he had turned around, Sitara's ears had perked up a little. Expecting more questions, he waited.

Finally, she asked one. "How did the Ancients get to the moons and back then? The Moon Ship wasn't there then."

Another voice suddenly piped up, this one less high-pitched as Sitara's. "They had magic, you cotton head. Didn't you hear the last part?"

The father whipped around to give the small figure in the other bed a hard look. She was facing the opposite wall though and didn't see his eyes. "Ciara! Don't call your baby sister names! It's not nice."

"We're twins, Da. She's not _that_ much younger than me." The other daughter rolled halfway over—just enough to look at her father with one squinted eye. "And we don't even _look_ like twins."

The father continued to glare his disapproval at his daughter as he folded his arms across his chest. "You're still family through, Ciara, you need to get along with her better. Apologize to your sister right now."

There was a groan of protest but no back talk. After a few seconds she grumbled, "Sorry."

"Sit up and look at her so she knows you mean it," the father ordered.

"Alright Da!" said a disgruntled Ciara.

She sat up in her bed and swung her legs out to square up with her sister, revealing the long, narrow feet and curved hindquarters similar to a rabbit's. The two locked eyes after the father had moved off to the side a bit. Sitara's ears drooped and she fought the instinct to look away from her sister's red, angry eyes. Ciara grumbled something unintelligible underneath her breath. When she spoke, it sounded like she wanted to spit.

"I'm sorry, Sitara, for calling you a cotton head. I didn't mean it."

Her father failed to notice the hostility in her voice but Sitara did. It made her want to cover her face with the bed sheets. When she didn't respond, her father turned to her. "What do you say?"

"…It's ok, Ciara," she replied timidly. "I forgive you…"

"That's—"

Ciara's bed scrunched loudly from the force she threw herself down into it. Turning her back to them both, she yanked the bed sheets over her head and was silent.

"—better…" The father sighed silently in frustration and proceeded to tuck Ciara in. The moment he was done though, she wiggled and the bed sheets came loose again. He didn't try again.

Instead, he just turned back to his youngest child. Her blue eyes were downcast and staring at her little hands. He kneeled down at her bedside—there wasn't enough room for him to sit on it—and rubbed her on the head between her ears. "She didn't mean any harm, Sitara," he said gently. "She's just really tired and wants to sleep. That's all."

"No. She _did_ mean it, Da," she murmured, lying down on her side towards the door. "Ciara hates me. She's always picking on me. Just like everyone else…"

"Don't use 'hate' Sitara," he said sternly. "It's a strong word. You should be careful when you use it."

"I know, Da," she replied. "It just hurts though when people are mean to me."

Her father stood and leaned over her to tuck her in like he did with Ciara. As he did, he whispered, almost to himself even, "I know it hurts. You didn't do anything wrong…"

He straightened up and smoothed his robe before picking up the book from the chair. He heard Sitara turn over on her other side and felt her eyes on him. He couldn't help smiling when he turned around and saw her staring at him with her little eyes.

"Da—"

"Are you _ever_ going to stop rolling around and go to sleep?" he asked in a weary but good-natured voice.

The child's face lit up as she broke a smile; it made him smile even more. "No," she said coyly. "Not till I have some carrot juice."

"Again?" He put his hands on his sides, the book hanging from one padded hand. One of his eyes slanted with suspicion. "Sitara…you know I can't bring you another glass after bedtime. Your mother will box my ears for that."

"Please?"

"No."

"Aww. Come on." She sat up and gestured for him to come closer, which he did. "I'll be your best friend forever," she whispered.

The father chuckled and rubbed his nose against hers in affection. "You already are, Sitara." He laid her down and tucked her back in. "Now if you go to sleep," he said. "I'll take you on a walk with me tomorrow."

Sitara's eyes lit up. That meant they could walk around not only the inside of town, but the outsidetoo—near the Moon Sea. Yellow Drops was so boring and she knew that she wouldn't be able to get beyond the gates otherwise. Her father's eyes widened slightly as he turned his head slightly to the side; she could see his thick grey eyebrows raised up underneath his cowl, trying to tempt her into taking the proposition.

"Deal?"

She beamed. "Deal!"

Her father leaned over one more time to kiss her on the forehead then rubbed her shoulder with his free hand. "Good night then, Sitara."

"Night Da."

She heard him close the door but he left a slight crack to let in some of the light from the living room. The crystal on the wall flickered completely out now and his footsteps faded away. Sitara, usually scared of the dark and anxious without her father's presence, wasn't this time. Excitement coursed through her at the thought of exploring the Moon Sea with her father—so much so that she couldn't fall asleep for almost two hours. Finally, weariness forced her eye lids down and she fell fast asleep.

In the other bed though, Ciara stared out the window towards Blue Terra, which was just starting to poke up from behind the rocky hills surrounding their house. She was wide awake and mulling over the story that her da had told earlier. It made her blood boil thinking about how greedy the humans were to seize power that they would try to kill an entire group of people for it. Now the Moon People were stuck here on this worthless lump of rock because of it and the humans got to live where it was beautiful, green, and wide—at least that's the impression she got from the story.

She too shared her twin sister's ambitions to go to Blue Terra but she cared less about seeing the humans. _Why bother with them?_ she thought. _They'll only try to hurt us again! _The feathers in her pillow balled up in one spot by her ear drum, irritating her. She punched it to break it up then turned over on her other side.

She could see Sitara's slow, even breathing against the light coming in through the door. That only made her mad. She flipped to the other side again to avoid seeing her and crossed her arms tightly across her chest. She wished that she could punch her sister but the house echoed and her parents would hear any conflicts in their bedroom. _Da is taking Sitara with him tomorrow too…I _hate_ how she's his favorite. _She looked back over at Sitara. On her face was a smile that made her fur itch something fierce.

"Cotton head," she snorted at her before rolling back over.


End file.
